Melting glaciers, GB areas flooded, river blocked

An artificial lake has been formed after a glacier melt has swollen Barsuwat Nullah in the Ishkoman valley of Ghizer district, Gilgit-Baltistan blocking the flow of the Immit River.

According to a local media report, the water has submerged more than 30 houses, cultivated land, an intersection road and cattle farms. Moreover, it has washed away over a dozen vehicles and hundreds of cattle head in the upstream areas.

The Deputy Commissioner of Ghizer Shuja Alam said that the glacier started melting on Tuesday night and the water containing mud and stones fell into Barsuwat Nullah, which eventually falls into Immit River. It was further reported by the local media outlet that due to this the flow of Immit River has been blocked and an artificial lake has been created disconnecting upstream villages and other areas.

The Immit River finally joins the River Indus in the Gilgit area.

The DC was further quoted as saying that ‘an area spread over about 2km has been flooded and around 10 small villages including Barsuwat, Berth, Yazbeen and Qarandan, consisting of 180 households (600 individuals), have been completely cut off from other areas’.

‘The road link to the upstream areas has been cut off at Bilhanz as around 150-meter section of the road has been washed away’.

Furthermore, he stated that the Barsawut glacier melts every two to three years in summer.

In 2015, the glacier melted and the water blocked the river causing difficulties for the residents. Similar was the case this time, as the current heatwave caused the glacier to melt.